Kayla Harrison ran through Julianna Peña to become UFC champion and now it looks like she will finally fight the legendary Amanda Nunes.
A bout between Harrison and Nunes—two of the most accomplished women in combat sports history and former teammates at American Top Team—has been discussed for ages, but seemed to be lost forever when Nunes retired in 2023. However, with Harrison submitting Peña at UFC 316 to become the new bantamweight champion and Nunes set for a comeback, the stage is set for a battle of the ages.
Harrison used her post-fight interview time to call out Nunes, who was seated cageside at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Saturday. Sure enough, Nunes made her way into the cage and the two had an amicable faceoff, praising each other with both making it clear that they panned to add to their legacies with a win in their highly touted matchup.
Harrison can now add UFC gold to a trophy case that includes two Olympic gold medals in judo and two PFL featherweight tournament titles. Whether she can defeat the returning “Lioness” is anyone’s guess, but it sounds like everyone wants to find out.
Check out fighter reactions from social media below.
Congratulations @KaylaH well-deserved! #UFC316
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) June 8, 2025
Harrison vs Nunes. BOOK IT! #UFC316
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) June 8, 2025
Truly an inspiration to all of us @AmericanTopTeam @KaylaH
— Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) June 8, 2025
Congratulations @KaylaH
— Raquel Pennington (@RockyPMMA) June 8, 2025
Kayla knows how to set up a fight! #UFC316
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) June 8, 2025
Congrats Kayla Harrison! #UFC316 https://t.co/IqMtB75TQ7 pic.twitter.com/APnKCi2ygh
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) June 8, 2025
Im very happy for you Kayla https://t.co/IgVuUZqC0s
— Azamat Bekoev (@AzamatBekoev) June 8, 2025
What a message from @KaylaH wow! Praise God!! #UFC316
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) June 8, 2025
Damn shawty is stronger than a motherfucker
— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) June 8, 2025
#ANDNEW congratulations Kayla! Incredible accomplishments, very admirable!
— Tracy Cortez’s ERA (@TracyCortezmma) June 8, 2025
Kayla Harrison ladies and gentlemen
And New ufc womens bantamweight champion in an absolute dominate fashion! #UFC316
— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) June 8, 2025
And new!!! @KaylaH Olympic gold medalist x2, and Undisputed UFC woman’s Bantamweight champ! #UFC316
— Cody Durden (@Cody_Durden) June 8, 2025
No words for Kayla best female athlete! #UFC316
— マネル・ケイプ Manel Kape (@ManelKape) June 8, 2025
Kayla is a force!!
#UFC316— Ode’ ⭕️sbourne (@OdeOsbourne) June 8, 2025
Class act from the co-main event. Can’t wait to see the goat @Amanda_Leoa in there with Kayla. Congrats. What a statement for women’s MMA. #ufc316 @ufc
— Alex Chambers (@alexchambersmma) June 8, 2025
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